


Father Son Time

by mikeymagee



Series: πατέρας [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9668186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeymagee/pseuds/mikeymagee
Summary: Kaldur'ahm's been working so hard for his father. And Manta has taken notice. He's also taken notice of Kaldur'ahm's aloof mentality. Well, every son deserves a reward for a job well done. And what better way for Manta to get to know his wayward son, than by taking him out to a Basketball game?





	1. Chapter 1

David had always dreamed of the day he’d be able to talk face to face with his son. And though young Kaldur’ahm had grown too large for Black Manta to hold in his arms, there was still time to in part in his son some semblance of family. But that time was running out. And David needed to begin work on undoing all of the conditioning  that Aquaman had poisoned his son with. 

 

Unfortunately, Kaldur’ahm (for all of his loyalty to the light and to Manta’s cause) would still hesitate at the thought of taking a life, or fighting against his former comrades. There was much to be done. But...all that would be for another day. 

 

Instead, David had other plans. 

 

It was the night after a big mission for the Light. Manta had sent his son on an intelligence OP to recover important information that would be vital for the Light’s plans. As usual, Kaldur’ahm succeeded with flying colors. And, as usual, Manta was pleased. 

 

“Good work Kaldur’ahm,” Manta said. 

 

“Thank you father,” Kaldur replied. He bowed slightly, a habit Manta wished he could break. There is no reason for a black man to bow to anyone, even his own father. 

 

“Go back to your quarters and get some sleep,” Manta said. “I’ll ensure the Light know of your good work.” 

 

Kaldur smiled, and turned away. There was always something distant about Kaldur’ahm that Manta never did like. He always seemed aloof and obedient to a fault. Sometimes, Manta feared that is Kaldur were ordered to walk off of a bridge, he’d do it with no hesitation. 

 

And Manta knew too well that Aquaman would use that as a means of gaining any kind of advantage. Luckily, King Orin had not done so just yet. And with Kaldur’ahm safely within Manta’s thrall, that day would never come. 

 

Regardless, Kaldur had done a great deed, and every good son needed a reward. Right? 

  
  


Kaldur’ahm awoke the next day with a deep guilt. He had succeeded in the mission his father had assigned for him, and yet...he wish he hadn’t. The Intel he had collected came at the cost of a research facility down in Gotham. Whatever groud breaking accomplishments they had created was lost now. All thanks to Kaldur.

 

A hard, intrusive knock came barreling into Kaldur’s quarters.

 

“Kaldur’ahm, are you awake?” It was his father. 

 

“Yes father?” Kaldur’ahm called back

 

The knob turned, and there stood Black Manta. The greatest enemy of the kingdom of Atlantis, decked in a basketball shit that stuck to his shoulders like a wet suit. “I’m glad to see you’re up.” Manta grinned from one side of his face to the other. 

 

Kaldur’ahm sat in his bed, confused. “Father, is everything alright?”

 

“Of course it is my son. I just figured you’ve been working so hard, and I’ve been so busy with the Light, you and I could use a little time to bond further. Make up for lost time?” 

 

“Oh, what exactly did you have in mind father?” 

  
“Trust me,” Manta said, “You’ll love this.


	2. Chapter 2

 

“A basketball game?” Kaldur asked as his father sat down in front of a large television screen. Manta flipped through the channels trying to find the perfect game to enjoy with Kaldur. Honestly, Manta wasn’t even sure of his sons own interests. Did the boy like sports? Or was he more of an artistic type? Perhaps music was his thing? Some days, David imagined Kaldur with earbuds in his head bobbing  to the latest Kendrick Lamar album. A tilted baseball cap on his head, and a cocky grin on his face. Just like the kids do now a days. 

 

But that wasn’t Kaldur. There was so much about the young soldier that David couldn’t even begin to grasp. Perhaps if he were raised on land instead of in Atlantis, they could have more easily filled the gap between them. No matter, there was no time like the present to start building a good foundation. 

 

“Of course, a father and son watching basketball together is a surface dweller tradition!” David beamed and ushered his son to sit next to him. Kaldur did as requested and fixed his eyes on the screen. 

 

“Father,” Kaldur said, “I’m afraid I do not know much about surface dweller sports, and the rules Basketball elude me still.”

 

“No problem my son,” Manta said, “I can explain any rules you may not understand, for instance,” Manta pointed to the screen as one of the players bounced the ball from one end of the court to the other. “The players always have to make sure the ball bounces against the floor, otherwise it’s called ‘Traveling’ and it’s illegal. The main goal is to get the ball in the basket.” 

 

Was this how Manta had envisioned their lives together, Kaldur’ahm wondered. It wasn’t as if Kaldur had never known the effects of fatherhood. Calvin Durham had raised him. Calvin Durham had held him in his arms when night fell. Calvin Durham cut Kaldur’s hair when it grew too long. 

 

But Manta was a different man with a different set of ideals. Manta valued strength, but he also valued family. Manta looked at each possibility with a calculated gleam, but when it came to Kaldur, all that sat in his eyes was a cooled pride.  Men need to be strong in times of distress, those were words Manta lived by.  And more often than not, Kaldur found himself agreeing. 

 

“But enough of sports my son, tell me of your new found ally. Tigress, is it?” Manta smiled, a sly grin that made Kaldur want to sink into the couch. “Your taste in women is just as keen as your battle sense, I see.”

 

“W-what?” Kaldur asked, “You believe Tigress and I are-”

 

“Of course, every man needs someone to return home to. She’s quite a girl. Beautiful, deadly...she seems to be the perfect match for you. She reminds me of your mother Sha’lain’a.”

 

Kaldur had always wanted to ask his father about how they met. What was it her mother saw in him? And was it still there after all these years. Was Manta always the bloodthirsty pirate bent on revenge or, long ago, was he something else?  Kaldur shook his head, such questions were for another time. 

 

“Father,” Kaldur said, “I’m afraid you are mistaken. Tigress is a trusted ally and friend, but...we are not intimate with one another.”

 

“Really?” Manta cocked his eyebrow, a drop of disappointment in his voice, only to be swallowed by a storm of concern. “So...you...have no one?” Manta knew the strains of leadership, he knew the perils of the lives he and his son lived, and he knew, better than even Aquaman, how important it allyship was. Even more so, he knew that every man needed a love to hold close to his chest. A long time ago, Manta had Sha’lain’a, and when she left him...he had no one. He was lonely. He stared into the darkness of his ship and numbed himself. But...Kaldur wasn’t supposed to be like that. Kaldur wasn’t supposed to be entirely heartless. Right? “No one whom you can...express your love to?” 

 

“Father, what are you saying?” Kaldur asked, “Does not the mission come before anything else?”

 

“Of course it does my son, but everyone needs to be able to place their sword down for a minute, just to rest themselves. To take stock in what they fight for. Even I know that.”

 

Kaldur tried to hold back a smile, his father was starting to sound just like Aquaman. But…

 

“Well,” Kaldur began, “If that’s what you mean...there is...one person I-”

“Really?” Manta asked, his face brightening. Manta placed the tv screen on mute. “And her name is?” 

 

“Well...she’s…” For some reason, Kaldur could not get the words out, but despite his own hesitation, he was determined to push through. His father (both Calvin and Manta) had told him about the importance of honor. A man without honor isn’t a man who can lead. And what was the point of leading if you couldn’t even be honest with yourself? There needed to be...understanding between desire and duty. Right “He’s a boy.” Kaldur said. 

 

Kaldur closed his eyes. This was it wasn’t it? All of the work Kaldur had done trying to gain his father’s trust, all of those missions he ran, and all of the intel he gathered for Nightwing and the rest would be for not. His father would be disgraced, disgusted, and Kaldur would be disowned by the man he had grown to look up to. There was a nobility to his father’s countenance, something only a son would be able to acknowledge. But, as his father always said, honorable men can not hide behind falsehoods, and Kaldur would hide no longers. Damn the consequences. 

 

“That’s wonderful,” Manta said, gently punching Kaldur in his shoulder, ruffling his hair.“What’s he like? What’s his name? How’d you meet?”  

 

And Manta smiled, and laughed and asked and insisted. Something Kaldur did not know his father to do. “I want to meet him,” Manta said.

 

But...that wasn’t a possibility. Kaldur hadn’t seen...his friend in sometime. Not only that, he couldn’t run the risk of placing him in danger. Sometimes Kaldur even believed thinking his lover’s name would result in some cruel misfortune that would steal him away. So Kaldur did not even think his name...even though he couldn’t not stop thinking about his lover’s face. His black skin that caught held the sunlight like a bowl holds water. How they met all those years ago on the pier. How they talked for hours, smiled at the way the seagulls looked to be dancing, and watched at the sand skipped into the breeze. How was he doing now?  “I do not believe that to be possible father. He is not of our ilk. And yet I love him just the same.” 

 

“He sounds a lot like your mother then.” David beamed. “Kaldur, my son, I think it is wonderful that there is someone who holds your heart.” Manta rubbed his fingers against his chin, “Whoever this person is. I would like to meet him someday.” 

 

“I…I’d like that too,” Kaldur said. “I’d like that a lot.”

  
  
  



End file.
